An Unexpected Bond
by Fan Of Good TV Shows
Summary: My first Ella Enchanted fic. it’s after the book has ended and is about how Ella and Hattie’s relationship changes and evolves, after a something bad happens to Hattie’s family and Ella&Char get news that changes their life. Full summary inside
1. Sweet and Bitter Surprises

-1Disclaimer-I don't own the characters or anything else from Ella Enchanted.

Summary: After something very bad happens to Hattie's family she finds herself leaning on someone that she never thought that she would, Ella. Ella is also going through a very important change in her life and finds herself bonding with Hattie in spite of their past rocky relationship. This story is about the ups and downs of their relationship and how ultimately they become close and get a better understanding of each other as they are going through different stages in their lives. I would appreciate reviews and feedback on this story.

**Sweet and Bitter Surprises**

"Pass me the nutmeg Sweet." Mandy instructed to Ella. Ella gave Mandy the spice and watched as Mandy poured it into the batter of the cake that she was making. It was a cool crisp afternoon and after spending some time in the castle garden, Ella decided to go to the kitchen and help Mandy cook dinner. Tonight her and Char were having Prince Jacobston and Princess Karoleena from the kingdom of Para over. Char had become good friends with Prince Jacobston after Jacobston had helped save him from some ogres. After Jacobston had saved him they had went out on several hunting trips together. Char had finally decided to invite Jacobston and his wife Princess Karoleena over for dinner, so that Ella and the rest of his family could meet them.

"Pass , the goose eggs love." Mandy instructed Ella again. Ella gave Mandy one egg., which Mandy cracked on the side of the bowl and put into the batter. When she reached to give Mandy the second egg, she felt a little woozy and dropped the egg on the floor.

"Ay lady another egg dropped." Mandy commented looking down at the floor. "You have been dropping things all over the place lately. You've been even more clumsy than your usual clumsy self. Is everything all right Ella?"

Ella shook her head. "I don't know Mandy." She admitted. "All of a sudden I just felt woozy. That has been happening a lot lately. I try to do something and then I feel sick. At times I can barely keep food up, often I am running to one of the castle chambers. I keep getting these spells of feeling nauseous. I don't know what is going on with me."

"Hmm…" Mandy pondered curiously. "How long have you been feeling this way love?"

"For several days, I have been having these feelings of nausea. And I also have been feeling fatigued as well."

"Maybe you are coming down with a virus or something. We shall have a doctor look at you. To determine what is wrong."

Ella nodded. "Yes, I think I will go see the Royal doctor today." Ella continued to help Mandy prepare dinner and then excused herself to go see the Royal doctor.

After examining her, for a while, the Royal doctor Cartin was deep in thought. "You seem to be in good health, no sign of a virus or an illness. I wonder…" He paused and then he smiled. "Princess Eleanor, I think it is possible that you are…"

"She is with child." Serry the elf nurse that assisted Cartin confirmed, as she walked into the room looking at Ella. Serry had worked with Cartin for some time, she was a bright and efficient nurse who had often had a sixth sense about the people that the doctor treated. Often when he was unable to figure out what illness had befallen someone she could just _look _at someone and figure out what it was. Her diagnoses were often spot on, and the Royal doctor as well as people all throughout the Kingdom valued her opinion.

Ella was stunned. "What?" She asked surprised.

"You are with child, my dear." Serry repeated, with a smile on her face. She picked up one of the bags of herbs and sniffed it. "This poppelweed is still fresh enough to use." She informed Dr. Cartin. "We can use it to help heal cuts."

As Ella watched her and the doctor talk, a wave of emotions went through her. _She was with child? _She had to admit that the idea was both overwhelming and surprising. Ella always wanted children, and her and Char had always intended to start a family. They had been married for five years now and Ella knew that is was high time for them to start a family. But she was still stunned that it was actually happening now. If what Serry said was true, which she knew it probably was, then she was carrying her and Char's baby. She was carrying their child, someone that they would love and treasure always, someone that could be an eventual heir to the throne and carry on their legacy. As these thoughts went through Ella's mind, tears welled up in her eyes. She was so happy.

Serry stopped looking at the bags of herbs and looked at Ella. She studied Ella for a moment, and a realization came into her mind. "You know my dear, I believe that I was wrong, about you being with child…"

Ella's heart fell. _So it wasn't true? She had been looking forward to it…_

"You are with twins." Serry stated, a huge smile breaking out on her face.

Ella was stunned even more. _Twins? Her and Char were going to have two children?_ Ella felt like someone had just given her two very special gifts. Her heart danced and her eyes welled up again.

The Royal doctor and Serry talked with her again, and examined her once more and determined that she was indeed going to have twins. Before she left the Royal doctor told her that he wanted to see her come by regularly for checkups. He gave her a schedule and a supply of three exliqurs that he wanted her to take every day. "For the health and well-being of mother and babies." He had stated. As Ella made her way out of his room and walked back to the kitchen, she was feeling very happy. She wanted to jump up and down and scream to the world her wonderful, amazing news. She couldn't wait to tell Mandy.

She knew that Mandy would be ecstatic to hear the news. She probably would help Ella start picking out baby names. Ella wondered if the twins would be two girls, or two boys, or maybe a boy and a girl. She couldn't wait to start picking out names for them. She wondered what names Char would come up with, for them. _Char_. Ella's smile became wider when she thought of him. She knew that Char would be thrilled to hear this news. She imagined him giving her that beautiful smile of his and his eyes lighting up when she told him the news.

Ella went back into the kitchen and told Mandy the news. Mandy had laughed, cried, and then threw her apron off in joy when she heard the news. "I should have known love. I should have known." Mandy hugged Ella. "So when are you going to tell your Prince?"

Ella smiled. "I was thinking of telling Char tonight, after the dinner. I think that…" Her thoughts were interrupted when a distraught Hattie and a guard came running into the kitchen. "I'm sorry your highness, she insisted that she had to see you." The guard said sheepishly.

"It's okay." Ella told him. She looked at Hattie and saw how distraught she looked. Her hair was kind of messy, her eyes were red from tears that she had cried, her eyes were scared and sad. Ella had never seen Hattie look so bad.

She went over to her. "Hattie, Hattie, what is wrong?" Ella asked. She didn't really care for Hattie, but she knew that by her appearance that something was terribly wrong, and she felt compelled to help her.

"Oh, Ella, Ella…" Hattie grabbed both of Ella's arms and looked into her face. Ella saw the fear, pain and sadness etched into her eyes. "It's Olive…She's.."

"She's what?" Ella prodded gently.

"She's…. _dead. _And it's all my fault Ella. It's all my fault." Ella looked at Hattie after she revealed this news and was stunned by it. She had no idea what had happened to Olive and what was going on with Hattie, but she was determined to find out.


	2. The Turkey Wing, the bearded man and

-1Thanks for the reviews and comments. I appreciate them.

**The Turkey wing, the bearded man, and another unfortunate surprise.**

"Hattie… What… What do you mean Olive is dead?!" Ella asked shocked. She motioned for Hattie to sit down in a chair. Hattie sat down shaking. Mandy brought her a cup of her special tea, hoping that would calm her nerves some.

"I mean she's _dead. _And it's all my fault." Hattie repeated her voice filled with anguish.

_Did Hattie murder Olive? _Ella wondered to herself. She knew that Hattie was capable of many things. Lying, blackmail, thievery, and all types of tricks, but would she _murder_? And if she could, would she murder her own _sister_?"

"Okay start from the beginning." Ella told her trying to remain calm. "Tell me what happened to Olive."

Hattie took a deep breath and began to tell Ella what happened. "Well, Olive and I went on a picnic near Cedar's Falls. As you know her husband left her a few months ago, and she was feeling rather down about it. She no longer had anyone around that would make her a white cake everyday and pay her 100 KJ's, and she had been in a state of unhappiness because of that."

Ella nodded taking in what Hattie was telling her. She remembered hearing that Olive's husband had run off and left her. There had been talk that he was tired of her being so bossy and had gotten tired of making her a white cake every day and paying her money to make her happy. The story going around was that he had waited until Olive fell asleep one night, then packed his things and took off leaving her a note saying he was never coming back. No one had any idea where he had went. Dame Olga, Hattie and Olive had been shamed by what had happened, and at first had made up some tale about him being away on a trip. But after he didn't return for a while and some of the people in Frell began to talk, they finally told the truth about what had happened.

"Yes, I remember what happened with Olive's husband. But Olive? How did she die and how are you responsible for it?" Ella questioned.

"Well… I've been trying to cheer her up since he left. I've been trying to bond with her more, and I've been doing things like taking her to market to shop, and well even _cooking_ for her. Of course I don't know how to make a white cake, but I have cooked supper for her quite a few times, since her husband left her. I wanted her to feel better in spite of her marriage going down in shambles."

_Hattie being considerate, who knew? _Ella thought to herself.

Hattie continued telling Ella her story. "But in spite of my noble efforts Olive, was still pretty unhappy about her husband leaving her. Her attitude became really bad. She even tried to boss me around, and get me to pay her 100 KJ's everyday, to replace what her husband who used to do. Of course I refused to do so, I wasn't going to give her that much money, not even to cheer her up. My incredible kindness does have it's limitations. Even back when you were living with us Ella, my kindness to you only extended so far."

Ella tried hard not to roll her eyes. Hattie always had a way of spinning things to work in her favor. Ella remembered how horribly Hattie, along with Dame Olga, and Olive had treated her when she was living with them. There was nothing kind about the way that they treated her. The day that she left them to go live with Char was one of the best days of her life.

"But in spite of me not giving her the money, I still wanted to do nice things for her to make her feel better about her husband leaving her. It is quite shameful when a man leaves a woman." Hattie sighed. "But anyway today I had our cook, Dabrea, pack up a picnic lunch so that me and Olive could have lunch near Cedar falls. Olive agreed to go with me and we sat at the falls eating lunch. We had found a nice spot right near the edge of the cliff. We ate lunch for a while and talked, well I did most of the talking while Olive mostly devoured the food." Hattie took a deep breath, fear coming into her eyes, because of what she was about to say next.

"Well, there was a Turkey wing left in the lunch that Dabrea had packed. Just _one. _This Turkey wing was probably one of the biggest turkey wings I've ever seen. Dabrea is a friend of some of the giants, and they gave her some Turkey wings as a gift. Food of the giants is typically quite large and this Turkey wing was no exception. It was _huge_. Well both Olive and I wanted it, and we reached for it at the same time."

"I really wanted that Turkey wing, because I had become famished from dictating all day to Dabrea and the other servants about what chores needed to be done around the house. I felt like I deserved that Turkey wing." Hattie paused. "But Olive really wanted it very badly and she tried to take it for herself. Both our hands were on it, but Olive tried to pull it out of my grasp. Well we continued to try and snatch the wing for ourselves but both of us had a tight grip on it. We started to argue about who should get the wing, and then we both stood up each, holding on to it. We tugged back and forth over the wing, and we moved around near the cliff. I didn't really notice at first that Olive had gotten really close to the edge." Tears started to form in Hattie's eyes.

"We kept tugging and pulling on the wing. I finally noticed how close Olive was to the edge of the cliff and loosened my grip on the Turkey wing. I didn't want her to go over. Olive saw that I had loosened my grip on the wing. She gave me a smirk and snatched it even harder to try and make sure that she could get it. And when she did that… she… she… fell back and went over the cliff!" Hattie began to sob again. "She went over the cliff Ella, with the Turkey wing in her hand. She fell!"

Ella gasped in shock at what Hattie had told her.

"She fell Ella! I saw her falling down towards the water, and I.. closed my eyes. I couldn't believe what was happening. I turned away, I couldn't watch and see her hit the bottom. I stood there for a while with my back to the cliff, and then I finally got up the nerve to look down. I didn't see anything. I… I assumed that the water took her under and she drowned." Tears were streaming down Hattie's face while she was telling Ella this. "I…killed my sister Ella. I _killed _her. I should have let her have the Turkey wing. But I was greedy and selfish and I couldn't let my sister have it. So we tugged and pulled on it until she fell over the cliff. Olive's death is all my fault, Ella it's all my fault."

Ella felt incredibly sad, for Hattie and found her doing something that she never thought that she would do, she reached out and hugged her. She hugged Hattie for a while, and felt Hattie's wet tears fall onto her shoulder. After Ella had hugged Hattie for a while Hattie pulled away from her with desperation in her eyes. "Ella what am I going to do? I don't know what to do… Help me Ella."

Ella tried to think about what should be done about this. "Hattie", she asked gently. "Did you tell anyone about what happened to Olive, your mother, the servants, anyone?"

Hattie shook her head. "No, I didn't tell anyone. Mum is away visiting some friends in Ayorthia and I was too scared to tell anyone else. So... I decided to come to you. You are the Princess, and my step-sister, your husband is going to be King someday. I thought you two could help me from being banished to someplace or that you could help me avoid receiving whatever punishment murderers receive."

Ella looked at Hattie with a concerned look on her face. "Based on what you have told me, about what happened with Olive, you are not a murderer. What happened was an accident. A very tragic and unfortunate one, but it was an accident. You are not a murderer and I will see to it that you are not treated like one." Ella told her trying to comfort and assure her. "I need to talk to Char about this, he will know what to do. But for the meantime, you can stay here and rest a while, until we figure out what to do." She gave Hattie a handkerchief so that she could wipe her face. Hattie took the handkerchief and wiped her eyes. Ella got up and went over to Mandy to speak to her.

"Mandy…" She began. "I think that we should get someone..." Ella stopped speaking when she heard a voice call out her name. "Ella!" A handsome bearded man came into the kitchen and walked over to Ella and Mandy. Ella turned to face the man and smiled at him. "Hi…" She greeted him warmly. "We need to…" She began but was silenced when he wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her passionately. Ella wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back, her focus being momentarily taken away from the bad news that she had heard and focused on him, his kiss, and his love. Whenever he kissed her, it felt like a drop of heaven. Any worries, doubts and fears that she had about anything could often be subsided or at least not seem as bad when she received a kiss from him.

As Hattie watched Ella kiss the bearded man passionately she was in shock. Hattie didn't recognize the man and thought that Ella must be having an affair. _She's cheating on Prince Char! _Hattie thought to herself. _It looks like I'm not the only one that may be banished for a crime. _Hattie thought. _Oh well I won't rat Ella out about her dallying with another man behind the Prince's back, if she helps me out with this situation involving Olive's death._

The man and Ella stopped kissing and he lowered his head down, resting his forehead against hers, his arms still wrapped gently around her waist. "I missed you." He admitted to her. Ella laughed. "Already?" She asked him teasingly. "But you saw me this morning." The bearded man smiled. "Yes and that was _hours _ago, It's been a long wait since then." He kissed her once more and Hattie continued to watch them, shocked that Ella would kiss this man passionately not once but _twice _in front of her and Mandy. _Has Ella no shame? _Hattie wondered to herself. Ella had always been brash and bold, often Hattie felt too bold for her own good. How could she stand there and kiss the bearded man twice, without showing any sort of guilt?

Hattie glanced over to look at Mandy who was smiling at the two, and noticed that there were tears in her eyes. Hattie couldn't believe what she was seeing, but she hoped that the Prince wouldn't come in and see Ella with this man. Ella's marriage would be destroyed and Hattie would be less likely to get the help that she needed to ensure that she wouldn't be punished for her sister's unfortunate death. Hattie's heart began to ache again, when she thought about her sister going over the falls. She would miss Olive terribly and had no idea how she would get through her death.

The man finally released Ella and turned to Mandy and bowed. "Hello, Mandy. I trust that everything is well with you?" He asked courteously.

_Well at least he has manners. _Hattie thought to herself. _It would be twice as shameful if Ella was cheating on Prince Charmont with a man that was uncouth._

Mandy smiled at the man. "I am doing fine." She assured him. "And I trust everything is well with you Prince Charmont?"

"All is well." Prince Charmont stated giving Mandy a smile.

Hattie's mouth dropped open. The bearded man was Prince Charmont! She didn't even recognize him. Hattie looked at him closer and realized that it was indeed him. He had the same beautiful eyes, the same gorgeous smile, the same kind demeanor that Char had. But he now had a beard. It wasn't the thickest beard that Hattie had ever seen it but it was a beard nonetheless. And Char looked more muscular, like he had been doing a lot of physical work. He looked stronger and more muscular and the beard made him look older and more mature. Even though she hadn't recognized him at first, Hattie thought that he was still very handsome. In fact he was even more handsome than he had looked in the past.

As Hattie stared at the Prince, he turned to look at her. He bowed to her and spoke. "Hello, Lady Hattie. I hope that you are well." He paused. "I'm surprised to see you here. Are you here to see Ella?" He asked her curiously. He glanced quickly at his side to his wife, and saw the worried expression on her face. He hoped that nothing was wrong. He hoped that Hattie wasn't harassing Ella. If she was…well Char would have no problem with having her escorted out of the castle. He was not going to stand for her harassing his wife. It had been over five years since him and Ella had gotten married, and even longer since he had first fell in love with her.

He remembered how Hattie had treated Ella years ago, when they weren't together and she was still under her curse of obedience. Hattie had treated her horribly and if Hattie had gotten her way Char and Ella would not have been together. He even remembered her ordering Ella not to marry him, when he had asked her to. If Hattie had gotten her way Ella would have never married Char, and they wouldn't have gotten a chance to live a wonderful life together. Char had not forgotten the way that Hattie had treated Ella, and he didn't take too kindly to her.

But since he and Ella had gotten married they saw Hattie a few times throughout the year. Hattie and Ella didn't get along very well, but Ella's father was married to Hattie's mother and they couldn't _completely_ ignore her and her family. Especially since Sir Peter the merchant had been put under the protection of Char's family, and Ella had grown closer to him. Ella had developed a much better relationship with her father and because of that he started spending more time with her, Char and their family.

Since this was happening, Ella and Char couldn't ignore Dame Olga and her daughters, because Sir Peter did love Dame Olga, cared about her daughters and wanted everyone to interact like a family. In spite of the fact that not everyone liked each other. So a few times a year during certain celebrations and festive Holidays, Ella and Char invited Dame Olga and her daughters to the castle to show good will and so that everyone could spend time together as a family. It made Sir Peter happy, and didn't bother Ella a lot, as she did want her father to be happy, so Char went along with it. But those were basically the only times that they dealt with Hattie and her family. Other than that they really didn't spend a lot of time associating with her. Today there was not a special celebration going on nor was it a holiday so Char wondered why Hattie was there at the castle.

Hattie stood up and curtsied to the Prince. "I am fine your highness. And… I must say that you are looking _very _well. I didn't even recognize you when you came through the door and grabbed Ella and kissed her so fervently. I think it is the beard, your highness. I didn't imagine your face to be.. _Hairy _like that. It makes you look older than your 23 years, as now you look closer to 30."

Hattie finished speaking and then instantly regretted what she had said. She couldn't believe that she had just talked to the Prince like that. She had meant to compliment him, but what she had said sounded more like an insult. Hattie was mortified by what she had just said to him. Mandy snorted and tried her hardest not to burst out laughing. _Hattie and her mouth. _Mandy thought to herself. She rarely ever said the right thing to people, and when she gave compliments they often sounded like insults.

Char looked at Hattie with a slightly perplexed look on his face. "Uh.., Thank you Lady Hattie." He responded courteously. "I decided to grow out the beard after I went on a trip hunting Ogres, I didn't have my shaver around, and it started to grow. When I returned home I decided to let it grow out more. I think that I look presentable with it." Char stated modestly. He then looked at Ella and smiled. "My wife doesn't seem to have a problem with it, except she says it tickles her face when we kiss." Ella blushed at Char's comment, a smile breaking out across her face.

"Oh." Hattie said, glad that the Prince wasn't mad about her comments. The room was quiet for a moment. Then Ella spoke. She glanced at Hattie and then at Char. "Char... we need to talk. I have some manners that I need to discuss with you. And I have news that I think would be of great interest and importance to you." She informed him thinking about the twins. She then turned to Mandy. "Mandy would you be so kind as to show Hattie to one of the rooms in the Castle where she can get some rest?"

Mandy nodded. "Of course love. Come with me Lady Hattie." She instructed to Hattie to follow her and Hattie gave Ella a nervous and pleading glance before she left. Ella knew that Hattie wanted her to discuss with Char what had happened with Olive and make sure that no punishment or harm came to her because of it. Ella nodded at Hattie to assure her that she would make things better and Hattie and Mandy left. Char watched them leave and then turned back to Ella smiling at her. She looked up at him, and smiled back. Char stared at Ella, and was taken aback by her beauty. He had always thought that she was very beautiful, but today she was even more so. It was like she was _glowing_. Her skin was very radiant looking and her eyes were sparkling with joy, but were also filled with worry. She seemed happy but also troubled about something _What is going on with Ella? _Char wondered to himself. Something was causing her to have joy, to be radiant and to glow, but something was also causing her to be worried, troubled, and sad. Char had no idea what type of news was causing his wife to have this mixture of emotions, but he was determined to find out. He grabbed her hands and held them in his, bringing her closer to him.

"What is it Ella?" He asked her gently. "What news is causing you so much joy, yet causing you so much pain at the same time? Tell me." He coaxed her.

Ella felt a wave of emotions running through her. She gave Char's hands a gentle squeeze. "Char..." She began. "A lot has happened. I've gotten some big news today and big things have happened Char. I need your help with Hattie, and I need your help with my other news." She informed him thinking about the twins. "We are about to deal with a great responsibility Char, a greater responsibility than we've ever had to deal with." She paused looking into his eyes. She noticed confusion in them. _Ella needs help with Hattie? _Char wondered to himself. _What has Hattie done? Ella is mentioning a great responsibility. Has Hattie done something that is going to cause us to have to take on a great responsibility? And what is Ella's other news?_

Ella opened her mouth to finish explaining the news about Hattie and the twins, when Sir Ronald one of Char's most trusted knights rushed in. He bowed to them. "I am sorry to interrupt you Prince Charmont and Princess Ella." He stated apologetically. He looked at Char. "It's your father your highness. He has come down with a grave illness. He fainted when he was outside today, and he has broken out into a fever, and is sweating profusely. There are other symptoms as well. We don't know what is wrong with him. But the Royal doctor is with him right now and your father is asking for you. You need to come with me right away." A very worried look came over Char's face, he looked down at Ella, her face looking even more worried than it was before she heard the news about his father. He looked back at Sir Ronald. "I will be there in a moment, Sir Ronald." Sir Ronald nodded and left the kitchen quickly.

"Ella, I…"

Ella put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Go be with your father Char. My news can wait." He nodded and Ella saw the fear in his eyes. Char was very worried about his father. Ella gave Char a hug, and softly rubbed his back with her hands. "Everything is going to be all right Char, but go be with your father. He needs you." She released him, and Char lightly touched her face with his hand. "I'll be back Ella, and you can tell me your news then. But right now I need to be with my father." Ella nodded and Char left the kitchen quickly to go see King Jerrold.

After he left Ella went and sat down in a chair. She sighed and tears welled up in her eyes. _More_ bad news. This day had started off so wonderful, she had learned about the twins, and had been excited to tell Char about them. She had felt on top of the world. But then Hattie had come and told her about Olive's death and now King Jerrold was sick. Everything had went downhill really fast, and Ella was worried, so worried about Char and Hattie, and King Jerrold and well _everything. _Ella hoped that in spite of the recent turn of events that things would work themselves out. She rested in her chair for a while longer and then got up to go find Mandy and Hattie.


	3. Mandy's Words of Advice

-1Thanks for the review.

**Mandy's Words of Advice**

"There you are Mandy." Ella said spotting Mandy in one of the castle bedrooms. She was tiding things up quietly around the room. Ella stepped into the room and noticed that Hattie was lying down on the bed, her back to Mandy and Ella. Ella figured that she must be sleeping and motioned for Mandy to come out into the hallway with her. Mandy stepped out and they walked a few steps away from the room.

"When did she go down Mandy?" Ella asked.

"A few minutes ago sweet. She was still pretty distraught, but I think my tea made her feel a little better. It should bring some peace to her sleep."

Ella nodded taking in what Mandy had said.

"So…" Mandy began smiling. "Did you tell your prince about the twins? How did he react? I think that he is going to be a fine father."

Ella sighed and shook her head. "I didn't get a chance to tell him, Mandy. His father fell very ill and he had to go see him."

A concerned look came over Mandy's face. "I hope that King Jerrold is okay."

"I hope so, Mandy but I don't know. Sir Ronald said that he had a grave illness and described his condition as pretty bad. I hope that he ends up being okay."

"I hope so too sweet."

A horrible thought crossed Ella's mind. "Mandy what if… what if…?" Her voice trailed off and fear came into her eyes.

"Oh sweet you mustn't think like that."

"I can't help it Mandy. I remember when Mother died. I wasn't even prepared for that. I thought that she was going to get better. But then she didn't and… that hurt me so deeply Mandy. So very deeply." Ella sighed. "I don't want Char to go through that same pain. He loves his father so much. I don't know what he would do without him. He'd miss him terribly. We all would."

Ella loved King Jerrold. He was like a father to her. He was a kind, gentle man who made her laugh and had accepted her into his family in a very kind manner. He was very good to her and his family. He was a fine King and Ella would miss him terribly if he died.

"Well… Ella we must stay positive and hope that he will pull through whatever illness that he has."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then, it will work itself out Ella I know it will. Char would be heartbroken, but he would have a lot of support. His mother, sister, of course you and now the two little ones on the way. He would be surrounded with lots of people who love him and would support him while he grieved his father and dealt with becoming King."

Ella nodded listening to Mandy. She knew that Char would miss his father terribly if he died, but Mandy was right he would have a lot of people who love him that would get him through his loss. His lovely mother Queen Daria and his kind hearted sister would help him through his grief, and Ella would do anything to comfort Char and make life more bearable for him. They would all stick together as a family and help each other through that difficult time if it arose.

Ella also thought about what Mandy said about Char becoming King. It was inevitable of course, but if King Jerrold died it would happen a lot sooner than any of them had planned it to. Ella knew that becoming King would be a huge responsibility for Char, there were so many things that went into running the kingdom successfully. There were laws to be enforced, decisions to be made, people to protect… so much responsibility rested on the King's shoulders.

Ella knew that Char could handle it even if it would be overwhelming for him at first, especially since he would become king a lot sooner than anyone intended. But Ella knew that he could do it, and she would be there for him every step of the way. She would be the best Queen that she could be for Kyrria and for him.

Ella and Mandy continued to walk down the hallway talking about everything that had happened. "Once Char has finished speaking with King Jerrold, I will tell him about Hattie and my pregnancy. I don't want to overwhelm him but he must know of these things right away."

"Right." Mandy looked at Ella for a moment. "Did the doctor say how far along you were love?"

"A few weeks, why?" Ella asked curiously.

Mandy was in thought. "Just wondering. I think that we need to go ahead and have some special dresses made for you. Dresses that will still fit you when you start to grow bigger."

"Oh." Ella nodded. "Yes… I think that will be wise. In a little while I will not be able to fit into my regular attire. Eventually I will grow as big as an ogre." Ella said half jokingly.

Mandy laughed. "You probably won't get _that _big. But yes you are going to get considerably bigger. And don't worry eventually you are going to feel a lot less nauseous than what you have been feeling. And the royal doctor gave you the elixirs right?"

Ella nodded. "And we will make sure you eat well, so that you and the babies can stay strong and healthy."

"You always make sure that I eat well Mandy."

"And you mustn't stress or worry too much. That will not be good for you and the twins." Mandy continued looking at Ella with a concerned look on her face. "I know that you have a lot going on right now, with Hattie and Olive's death, King Jerrold falling ill and Char having to deal with that. And if the worse shall come to pass… Char would have to become King. These events are quite stressful and things could get very overwhelming for you. Plus being pregnant is not the easiest thing Ella. You are going to feel tired at times, and at times you are going to be very emotional. Sometimes the smallest thing will set you off into tears. You are about to go through something very wonderful but it may seem difficult at times." Ella nodded listening to Mandy with a solemn expression on her face.

Mandy squeezed her hand. "But don't you worry. I am going to help you get through this love. No matter what I will be right here with you while you greet motherhood. And of course you have Queen Daria if you want to go to her for advice and the support of Char's sister as well as your friend Arieda. And of course you'll have Char. He'll support you while you go through this change in your life. He'll be there waiting to greet parenthood with you."

Mandy gave Ella a reassuring smile. "I know that you are going to be an excellent mother Ella. I do. And Char is going to be an excellent father. I know he will be. You are both going to be wonderful parents."

"I hope so." Ella commented hopefully.

"I know so." Mandy said giving Ella another smile.

As the two women continued walking down the hall Ella remembered that they were having guests over for dinner. "Oh I forgot about Prince Jacobston and Princess Karoleena coming over." She sighed. "With all that has happened, I don't know how much of a mood I'm in to entertain tonight."

"Ah, we'll get through it lady. Prince Charmont says that Prince Jacobston is quite delightful, and I'm sure that his wife is as well.. So it won't be so bad." Ella and Mandy went into the kitchen and finished preparing the dinner, before their guests arrived at the castle.


	4. Char's talk with King Jerrold

-1**Char's talk with King Jerrold**

Char sat by his father's bedside with a very worried look on his face. His father King Jerrold was in a terrible state. His skin was very pale, he was sweating profusely, shaking and his eyes kept fluttering open and then closing. Char had no idea what was wrong with his father. Dr. Cartin hadn't been able to identify yet what was the cause of his father's illness, but he had given him some Daisyrose herbs to help bring down his fevers and reduce his shaking. The medicine didn't seem to be working so far, but Char hoped that eventually it would. Char was deeply upset that his father was ill and feared that if his condition didn't improve that he would die. Char would miss him terribly if he died, he loved his father very much. And Char knew that if King Jerrold died he would have to take over the role of King, something that he hadn't planned to do for a while.

Char knew that eventually he would become king, and would have to rule over Kyrria, but he had thought that was going to be a while off. In the meantime, he enjoyed being Prince, having input in certain decisions about Kyrria, and doing his other royal duties as Prince. He enjoyed having a little more freedom as Prince,. Because he wasn't the highest authority he could roam around more freely and go on more adventures. Char loved going on adventures. He had been doing a lot of Ogre hunting lately and he enjoyed it. Char had been going on some trips for a while, with some of his knights and friends of his. He decided that after he came back from his last trip, that he was going to take Ella on his next one.

He knew that Ella had loved going on adventures, and they had went on some in the past, but it had been a while since they had been on one together. Char felt that it was time that they should go on another one. Char felt that he had been spending considerable less time with his wife, and he wanted to make it up to her by spending more time with her. He would definitely take Ella with him on his next trip, that is… if his father survived his illness and all was well with him and the kingdom. Char continued to watch over his father, and his heart sank. His father looked very ill, _deathly_ ill… Char was afraid that he wasn't going to make it. And if he didn't… Char would have a hard time living without his father. He loved and respected him so much. He needed him, Char didn't know what he was going to do if his father died.

Char watched over his father for a few minutes longer. He noticed that his father's appearance started to change. More color was coming into his skin, and he wasn't sweating as badly. _Is the Daisyrose herbs working? _Char thought to himself happily. _Please let them work, so that father can get better._ More color came into King Jerrold's cheeks and his eyes seemed to focus more. He opened them fully and he slowly turned his head to look at Char. "Charmont…my son." He said, his voice very quiet, almost a whisper.

"Yes, father!" Char scooted over closer to King Jerrold so that he could hear him better.

A weak smile came over King Jerrold's face. "I am so glad that you are here my son. I wanted you to come, I needed to see you. We need to talk… I might… I might not make it my son. .. And…"

A panicked look came across Char's face. "Father don't talk like that! You are going to make it. I have faith that you will."

"My son…" King Jerrold lightly raised his hand. Char took it in his.

"What is it father?" Char asked.

"If I don't make it. I need you to take good care of your mother, and sister, and the Kingdom."

"But father…"

"If I die I need you to be strong. Charmont, I know that you can do it. I know that you are going to make a wonderful king. You are a strong and wise young man Char. I know that you will take good care of things, if I should die. You will do right by the Kingdom I know you will. You and Ella will be great rulers for Kyrria. And you will create a strong legacy, and someday when you have children, you will pass that legacy down to them…"

Char looked very worried. "We intend to pass down a good legacy whenever we do have children. We will try to guide them well. And they will have you to guide them and to teach them things as well father."

King Jerrold smiled weakly, his eyes getting misty. "Oh, how I wish to see your children Charmont. How I wish to hold them when they are born, guide them, love them. I hope for that very much. But I don't know if I will get that chance."

"Of course you will father!" Char claimed desperately. "Of course you will get to hold them, guide them and love them. I know that Ella and I don't have any children yet, and I'm not sure when we will start to have children. It has been over five years already, and we still don't have any. But whenever we do have children, even if that doesn't start to happen until a few more years from now, you will be there for them father. I _know _that you will." Char's eyes were filled with anguish as he looked at his father.

"I don't know if I will be there for that my son. But don't you worry. You _will _have children in due time. And they will bring you and Ella so much joy, and happiness. As you and your darling sister have brought your mother and I immense joy." King Jerrold told him warmly.

"Of course they will bring us joy father, and they will bring you joy too father…"

"I could only hope my son. I could only hope.. But if I'm not around, I know that you will be a great father, and a great leader for Kyrria. I trust you my boy and I love you.." At that moment King Jerrold's eyes closed.

Char panicked when this happened. He looked at his father for a moment and rushed out of the room, to go get Dr. Cartin. When he bought him back, Dr. Cartin rushed over to King Jerrold's bedside. He looked him over and put his fingers, to the King's neck.

"Dr. Cartin..is he, please don't tell me he's…?"

"He's still alive Prince Charmont. The Daisyrose has finally settled in. It has made him quite sleepy, his pulse is kind of faint, but it should make its way back to normal. His color is a lot better and his fever has gone down. I'm going to watch him more throughout tonight, to monitor his condition and to make sure that it doesn't get worse But I think that he may end up being alright. I hope so. But just in case, his condition does get worse… I think that you should go get your mother and sister, so that they can sit with him and talk with him, should he wake up or at least be there for him, should he …" Dr. Cartin looked at Char with a serious expression on his face.

Char nodded and went to go get his mother and sister. He bought them into the King's room and he along with Dr. Cartin told them everything that had happened. They pulled up seats beside King Jerrold's bedside. After watching him for a while, Queen Daria looked up at Char. "Charmont, you should probably get to the dinner with Prince Jacobston and Princess Karoleena. They should be here shortly. They may already be here."

"But mother I think it would be best if I stayed here with you guys and father."

Queen Daria looked at Char and smiled at him kindly. "I think that it would be fine if you went and ate dinner with the your friends, dear. You can come back after you are finished. I think that your father is going to be fine, and your guests did travel all this way to see you. It's okay my son, you should go have dinner with them."

Char frowned reluctant to go. "Okay… mother but I am coming back when Dinner is over."

Queen Daria nodded. "Fine."

Char nodded and left to go have dinner with Ella, and Prince Jacobston and Princess Karoleena.


End file.
